John's Blog

    I am on vacation this week in sunny Orlando, Florida.  Everyone wanted to sleep in this morning after marching throughout the parks for the last couple of days.  I enjoyed spending time at EPCOT and was amazed by the great work I saw being done at the Land, where they are experimenting with new ways of growing food, ways that are better for the environment and better at creating larger crops to feed our ever growing population.

     I ended my day watching the fireworks show and it reminded me a lot of life in a start-up.

• The show begins with an overpowering display of fireworks.  Fire shot high into the air, originating from barges in the middle of the lake.  There was an urgency to all of the activity.  It struck me that this is identical to life at the beginning of a startup, where everyone is working rapidly and execution is almost more important than strategy.   There is an urgency to all that is being done and everyone feels feels the energy.
• As the show progresses, a floating globe moves across the lake showing images of people from around the world.  The music flows as images are displayed on the globe, the fireworks add a subtle component to what was unfolding before us.  If a startup is going to survive it must be able to hire people to fill key roles within the growing company, bringing expertise to other domains that the original team lacks.   While this stage is rarely viewed harmonious, your goal is to add key roles as needed, blending the old with the new. Many companies blow up at this juncture as new members clash with the old guard, failing to seemlessly integrate, failing to make the whole greater than the sum of the individual parts.  You need strong leadership as the company moves through this stage, someone who is focused on organizational planning that can maximize team performance as new people are added.
• The show ended in a controlled, but brilliant and powerful display of fireworks.  It all came together and the audience was moved by what was taking place on the lake in front of us.

   You must drive your startup to this same point, past the initial frenzied stages into a place where your teams are working seemlessly.  It takes hard work and more than a little planning, but this is where you will begin to see rewards for all of your hard work.  I am looking forward to seeing it all come together for you.

What stage is your company at?

John